Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

A vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle includes: a first recognizer configured to recognize a person near the vehicle; a first determiner configured to determine whether the person recognized by the first recognizer is a pre-registered user; and a controller configured to control a lighting device to project a projection image to a position for which a stop position of the vehicle is a criterion in a case where the first determiner determines that the person recognized by the first recognizer is the pre-registered user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2019-33238, filed on Feb. 26, 2019, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehiclecontrol method, and a storage medium.

Description of Related Art

In recent years, studies of automated vehicle control have beenconducted. In relation to this technology, devices recognizing a personwho appears on a road and then notifying the person that a vehiclerecognizes the region in which the person has appeared by radiatinglaser light at the feet of the person are known (for example, seeJapanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No.2017-159882). Devices that support a parking operation of a vehicle byradiating line markers to a road surface near the vehicle are known (forexample, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First PublicationNo. 2007-90938).

When a process of returning a vehicle in automated valet parking usingan automated driving technology is performed, a user of the vehicle (forexample, an owner) requests return of the vehicle using a terminaldevice or the like and then meets the vehicle that has moved to apredetermined boarding area through automated driving control and boardsthe vehicle. The user of the vehicle may not be aware of a position inthe boarding area at which the vehicle stops, and thus may be forced tomove unnecessarily in the boarding area or it may take time to board thevehicle in some cases.

The present invention is devised in view of such circumstances and anobjective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle controldevice, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium capable ofrealizing efficient boarding by notifying a user of a stop position of avehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage mediumaccording to the present invention adopt the following configurations.

(1) According to an aspect of the present invention, a vehicle controldevice mounted in a vehicle includes: a first recognizer configured torecognize a person near the vehicle; a first determiner configured todetermine whether the person recognized by the first recognizer is apre-registered user; and a controller configured to control a lightingdevice to project a projection image to a position for which a stopposition of the vehicle is a criterion in a case where the firstdeterminer determines that the person recognized by the first recognizeris the pre-registered user.

(2) In the vehicle control device according to the aspect (1), thecontroller is configured not to control the lighting device in a casewhere the first recognizer recognizes no person or the first determinerdetermines that the person recognized by the first recognizer is not thepre-registered user.

(3) The vehicle control device according to the aspect (1) or (2) mayfurther include a second determiner configured to determine the stopposition based on a position of the person determined to be thepre-registered user by the first determiner.

(4) In the vehicle control device according to the aspect (3), thesecond determiner is configured to determine a predetermined position ina stop area as the stop position in a case where the first recognizerrecognizes no person or the first determiner determines that the personrecognized by the first recognizer is not the pre-registered user.

(5) The vehicle control device according to the aspect (3) or (4) mayfurther include a second recognizer configured to recognize an objectwhich is in the stop area, the second determiner is configured todetermine a stoppable position different from a position of the personas the stop position in a case where the first determiner determinesthat the person recognized by the first recognizer is the pre-determineduser and the second recognizer recognizes an object disturbing stoppingof the vehicle at the position of the person.

(6) In the vehicle control device according to any one of the aspects(1) to (5), the controller is configured to control an indicator mountedin the vehicle to change an operation mode of the indicator based on adistance from a present position of the vehicle to the stop position.

(7) In the vehicle control device according to the aspect (6), thecontroller is configured to control the indicator to change a blinkingspeed of the indicator.

(8) In the vehicle control device according to the aspect (6) or (7),the controller is configured to control the lighting device to stop theprojection of the projection image before the indicator is controlled.

(9) In the vehicle control device according to any one of the aspects(1) to (8), the controller is configured to control a windshield of thevehicle to make a state of the windshield of the vehicle while thevehicle is moving to the stop position through automated driving controlbe different from the state of the windshield of the vehicle after thevehicle arrives at the stop position.

(10) In the vehicle control device according to any one of the aspects(1) to (9), the controller is configured to control a projection deviceto project an image recognizable from outside of the vehicle to adriving seat of the vehicle while the vehicle is moving to the stopposition through automated driving control.

(11) In the vehicle control device according to any one of the aspects(1) to (10), the controller is configured to control the lighting deviceto radiate light to the person determined to be the pre-registered userby the first determiner.

(12) In the vehicle control device according to the aspect (11), thecontroller is configured to control the lighting device to change a bodypart of the person to which the light is radiated based on illuminanceoutside of the vehicle.

(13) According to another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a vehicle control method causing a computer of a vehiclecontrol device mounted in a vehicle to: recognize a person near thevehicle; determine whether the recognized person is a pre-registereduser; and control a lighting device to project a projection image to aposition for which a stop position of the vehicle is a criterion in acase where the recognized person is determined to be the pre-registereduser.

(14) According to still another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing aprogram that causes a computer of a vehicle control device mounted in avehicle to: recognize a person near the vehicle; determine whether therecognized person is a pre-registered user; and control a lightingdevice to project a projection image to a position for which a stopposition of the vehicle is a criterion in a case where the recognizedperson is determined to be the pre-registered user.

According to the aspects (1) to (5) and (11) to (14), by notifying auser of a user of a stop position of the vehicle, it is possible torealize efficient boarding. The user of the vehicle can be aware of aposition at which the vehicle stops in a boarding area, can avoidunnecessary movement in the boarding area, and can shorten a boardingtime. It is possible for the vehicle to recognize the user, and thus itis possible to realize efficient boarding by determining a stop positionbased on the position of the user of the vehicle.

According to the aspects (6) to (8), the user of the vehicle can easilyand accurately be aware of an operation state of the own vehicle untilthe vehicle reaches the stop position.

According to the aspects (9) and (10), a person outside of the vehiclecan easily be aware of that the vehicle is being automatically driven.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle system in whicha vehicle control device according to a first embodiment is used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a projection process by aheadlight according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a firstcontroller and a second controller according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a scenario in which anautonomous parking event according to the first embodiment is performed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a parkinglot management device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the firstcontroller and a third controller according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow of aboarding support event of an automated driving control device accordingto the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a scenario inwhich the boarding support event of the automated driving control deviceaccording to the first embodiment is performed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the scenario inwhich the boarding support event of the automated driving control deviceaccording to the first embodiment is performed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the scenario inwhich the boarding support event of the automated driving control deviceaccording to the first embodiment is performed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow of aboarding support event of an automated driving control device accordingto a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a scenario inwhich the boarding support event of the automated driving control deviceaccording to the second embodiment is performed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a scenario inwhich a boarding support event of an automated driving control deviceaccording to a modification example of the second embodiment isperformed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a scenario inwhich a boarding support event of an automated driving control deviceaccording to a modification example of the first and second embodimentsis performed.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration ofan automated driving control device according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle control device, a vehiclecontrol method, and a storage medium according to the present inventionwill be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle controldevice according to the present invention notifies a user of a vehicleof a stop position of the vehicle by projecting a projection image to aposition for which the stop position of the vehicle is a criterion usinga lighting device mounted in the vehicle. The lighting device is, forexample, a headlight (a headlamp), a backlight (a backup lamp), oranother light-emitting device provided to project a projection image.Hereinafter, a case in which a lighting device is a headlight will bedescribed as an example. Hereinafter, a case in which a user of avehicle is notified of a stop position of the vehicle when a returningprocess of automated valet parking is performed will be described as anexample. Hereinafter, a case in which laws and regulations for left-handtraffic are applied will be described. However, when laws andregulations for right-hand traffic are applied, the left and right maybe reversed.

First Embodiment [Overall Configuration]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle system 1 inwhich a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment is used.

A vehicle in which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, avehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or afour-wheeled vehicle. A driving source of the vehicle includes aninternal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine,an electric motor, and a combination thereof. The electric motoroperates using power generated by a power generator connected to theinternal combustion engine or power discharged from a secondary cell ora fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device20, a human machine interface (HMI) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, anavigation device 50, a map positioning unit (MPU) 60, a headlight 70,an indicator 80, a driving operator 90, an automated driving controldevice 100 (an example of a “vehicle control device”), a travel drivingforce output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220.The devices and units are connected to one another via a multiplexcommunication line such as a controller area network (CAN) communicationline, a serial communication line, or a wireless communication network.The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely exemplary, part of theconfiguration may be omitted, and another configuration may be furtheradded.

The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera that uses a solid-stateimage sensor such as a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 10 is mounted on anyportion of a vehicle in which the vehicle control system 1 is mounted(hereinafter referred to as an own vehicle M). For example, when thecamera 10 images a front side, the camera 10 is mounted on an upperportion of a front windshield, a rear surface of a rearview mirror, andthe like. For example, the camera 10 repeatedly images the surroundingsof the own vehicle M periodically. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to thesurroundings of the own vehicle M and detects radio waves (reflectedwaves) reflected from an object to detect at least a position (adistance and an azimuth) of the object. The radar device 12 is mountedon any portion of the own vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect aposition and a speed of an object in conformity with a frequencymodulated continuous wave (FM-CW) scheme.

The finder 14 is a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) finder. Thefinder 14 radiates light to the surroundings of the own vehicle M andmeasures scattered light. The finder 14 detects a distance to a targetbased on a time from light emission to light reception. The radiatedlight is, for example, pulsed laser light. The finder 14 is mounted onany portions of the own vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs a sensor fusion process ondetection results from some or all of the camera 10, the radar device12, and the finder 14 and recognizes a position, a type, a speed, andthe like of an object. The object recognition device 16 outputs arecognition result to the automated driving control device 100. Theobject recognition device 16 may output detection results of the camera10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to the automated drivingcontrol device 100 without any change. The object recognition device 16may be excluded from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles around theown vehicle M, a parking lot management device or various server devicesusing, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth(registered trademark), dedicated short range communication (DSRC) orthe like. The details of a function of the parking lot management devicewill be described later.

The HMI 30 presents various types of information to occupants of the ownvehicle M and receives input operations by the occupants. For example,the HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touchpanels, switches, and keys.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects aspeed of the own vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detectsacceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity around avertical axis, and an azimuth sensor that detects a direction of the ownvehicle M.

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a global navigationsatellite system (GNSS) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a routedeterminer 53. The navigation device 50 retains first map information 54in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory.The GNSS receiver 51 specifies a position of the own vehicle M based onsignals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the own vehicle Mmay be specified or complemented by an inertial navigation system (INS)using an output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includesa display device, a speaker, a touch panel, and a key. The navigationHMI 52 may be partially or entirely common to the above-described HMI30. The route determiner 53 determines, for example, a route from aposition of the own vehicle M specified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or anyinput position) to a destination input by an occupant using thenavigation HMI 52 (hereinafter referred to as a route on a map) withreference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by linksindicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first mapinformation 54 may include curvatures of roads and point of interest(POI) information.

The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on theroute on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, forexample, a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or atablet terminal possessed by an occupant. The navigation device 50 maytransmit a present position and a destination to a navigation server viathe communication device 20 to acquire the same route as the route onthe map from the navigation server.

The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determiner 61 andretains second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD ora flash memory. The recommended lane determiner 61 divides the route onthe map provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality ofblocks (for example, divides the route in a vehicle movement directionfor each 100 [m]) and determines a recommended lane for each block withreference to the second map information 62. The recommended lanedeterminer 61 determines in which lane the vehicle travels from theleft.

When there is a branching location in the route on the map, therecommended lane determiner 61 determines a recommended lane so that theown vehicle M can travel in a reasonable route to move to a branchingdestination.

The second map information 62 is map information that has higherprecision than the first map information 54. The second map information62 includes, for example, information regarding the middle of lane orinformation regarding boundaries of lanes. The second map information 62may include road information, traffic regulation information, addressinformation (address and postal number), facility information, andtelephone number information. The second map information 62 may beupdated frequently by communicating with another device using thecommunication device 20.

The headlight 70 radiates light (projection image) toward the front sideof the own vehicle M. The headlight 70 is mounted in a front portion ofthe body of the own vehicle M. The headlight 70 has, for example, afunction of notifying a user of the vehicle of a stop position of thevehicle in a returning process of automated valet parking in addition toa function of improving visibility of the front side in driving byradiating light toward the front side of the own vehicle M at night orthe like. The headlight 70 includes, for example, a light source 71 andan actuator 72. The light source 71 is, for example, a valve such as ahalogen lamp or a light emitting diode (LED). The actuator 72 controls aprojection direction and a projection position of the projection imageoutput by the light source 71 by changing the direction of the lightsource 71. The actuator 72 includes an activation mechanism (arotational mechanism or the like) changing a direction of the lightsource 71 and a driving mechanism or the like such as an electric motor.By controlling the actuator 72, the projection direction and theprojection position of the projection image output by the light source71 can be set to any direction and position on the front side of the ownvehicle M.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a projection process by theheadlight 70 according to the first embodiment.

As shown, the headlight 70 includes, for example, a left headlight 70-1disposed left on the front side of the own vehicle and a right headlight70-2 disposed right on the front side of the own vehicle M, when the ownvehicle M is viewed from the upper side. The left headlight 70-1 and theright headlight 70-2 can project a projection image P to a desiredposition in front of the own vehicle M in cooperation or alone. Forexample, the left headlight 70-1 and the right headlight 70-2 canproject the projection image P to a ground surface by radiating light tothe ground surface at the desired position in front of the own vehicleM.

The indicator 80 notifies persons (for example, traffic participants,users of vehicles, and the like) outside the vehicle of a driving stateof the own vehicle M. The indicator 80 is, for example, a turn signal, afog light (a fog lamp), a side light (a side marker lamp), a brake lamp(a brake light), or the like.

The driving operator 90 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, abrake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a steering with adifferent shape, a joystick, and other operators. A sensor that detectswhether there is an operation or an operation amount is mounted in thedriving operator 90 and a detection result is output to the automateddriving control device 100 or some or all of the travel driving forceoutput device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

The automated driving control device 100 includes, for example, a firstcontroller 120, a second controller 160, and a third controller 170.Each of the first controller 120, the second controller 160, and thethird controller 170 is realized, for example, by causing a hardwareprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) to execute a program(software). Some or all of the constituent elements may be realized byhardware (a circuit unit including circuitry) such as a large scaleintegration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit(GPU) or may be realized by software and hardware in cooperation. Theprogram may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage deviceincluding a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or a flashmemory of the automated driving control device 100 or may be stored in astorage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) detachably mounted on aDVD, a CD-ROM, or the like so that the storage medium is mounted on adrive device to be installed on the HDD or the flash memory of theautomated driving control device 100.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the firstcontroller 120 and the second controller 160 according to the firstembodiment. The first controller 120 includes, for example, a recognizer130 and an action plan generator 140. The first controller 120 realizes,for example, a function by artificial intelligence (AI) and a functionby a model given in advance in parallel. For example, a function of“recognizing an intersection” may be realized by performing recognitionof an intersection by deep learning or the like and recognition based ona condition given in advance (a signal, a road sign, or the like whichcan be subjected to pattern matching) in parallel, scoring both therecognitions, and performing evaluation comprehensively. Thus,reliability of automated driving is guaranteed.

The recognizer 130 recognizes states such as positions, speeds, oracceleration of objects around the own vehicle M based on informationinput from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via theobject recognition device 16. For example, the positions of the objectsare recognized as positions on the absolute coordinates in which arepresentative point (a center of gravity, a center of a driving shaft,or the like) of the own vehicle M is the origin and are used forcontrol. The positions of the objects may be represented asrepresentative points such as centers of gravity, corners, or the likeof the objects or may be represented as expressed regions. A “state” ofan object may include acceleration or jerk of the object or an “actionstate” (for example, whether a vehicle is changing a lane or isattempting to change the lane).

The recognizer 130 recognizes, for example, a lane (a travel lane) inwhich the own vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognizer 130recognizes the travel lane by comparing patterns of road mark lines (forexample, arrangement of continuous lines and broken lines) obtained fromthe second map information 62 with patterns of road mark lines aroundthe own vehicle M recognized from images captured by the camera 10.

The recognizer 130 may recognize a travel lane by mainly recognizingrunway boundaries (road boundaries) including road mark lines orshoulders, curbstones, median strips, and guardrails without beinglimited to road mark lines. In this recognition, the position of the ownvehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 or a process result byINS may be added. The recognizer 130 recognizes temporary stop lines,obstacles, red signals, toll gates, and other road events.

The recognizer 130 recognizes a position or a posture of the own vehicleM with respect to the travel lane when the recognizer 130 recognizes thetravel lane. For example, the recognizer 130 may recognize a deviationfrom the middle of a lane of a standard point of the own vehicle M andan angle formed with a line extending along the middle of a lane in thetravel direction of the own vehicle M as a relative position and postureof the own vehicle M to the travel lane. Instead of this, the recognizer130 may recognize a position or the like of the standard point of theown vehicle M with respect to a side end portion (a road mark line or aroad boundary) of any travel lane as the relative position of the ownvehicle M to the travel lane.

The recognizer 130 includes a parking space recognizer 132 that isactivated in an autonomous parking event to be described below. Thedetails of the function of the parking space recognizer 132 will bedescribed later.

The action plan generator 140 generates a target trajectory along whichthe own vehicle M travels in future automatically (irrespective of anoperation of a driver or the like) so that the own vehicle M istraveling along a recommended lane determined by the recommended lanedeterminer 61 and handles a surrounding situation of the own vehicle Min principle. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speedcomponent. For example, the target trajectory is expressed by arrangingspots (trajectory points) at which the own vehicle M will arrive insequence. The trajectory point is a spot at which the own vehicle M willarrive for each predetermined travel distance (for example, aboutseveral [m]) in a distance along a road. Apart from the trajectorypoints, target acceleration and a target speed are generated as parts ofthe target trajectory for each of predetermined sampling times (forexample, about a decimal point of a second). The trajectory point may bea position at which the own vehicle M will arrive at the sampling timefor each predetermined sampling time. In this case, informationregarding the target acceleration or the target speed is expressedaccording to an interval between the trajectory points.

The action plan generator 140 may set an automated driving event whenthe target trajectory is generated. As the automated driving event,there are a constant speed traveling event, a low speed track travelingevent, a lane changing event, a branching event, a joining event, atakeover event, valet parking, an autonomous parking event in whichunmanned traveling and parking are performed, and the like. The actionplan generator 140 generates the target trajectory in accordance with anactivated event. The action plan generator 140 includes an autonomousparking controller 142 that is activated when an autonomous parkingevent is performed. The details of a function of the autonomous parkingcontroller 142 will be described later.

The second controller 160 controls the travel driving force outputdevice 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 so thatthe own vehicle M passes along the target trajectory generated by theaction plan generator 140 at a scheduled time.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the second controller 160 includes, forexample, an acquirer 162, a speed controller 164, and a steeringcontroller 166. The acquirer 162 acquires information regarding thetarget trajectory (trajectory points) generated by the action plangenerator 140 and stores the information in a memory (not shown). Thespeed controller 164 controls the travel driving force output device 200or the brake device 210 based on a speed element incidental to thetarget trajectory stored in the memory. The steering controller 166controls the steering device 220 in accordance with a curve state of thetarget trajectory stored in the memory. Processes of the speedcontroller 164 and the steering controller 166 are realized, forexample, by combining feed-forward control and feedback control. Forexample, the steering controller 166 performs the feed-forward controlin accordance with a curvature of a road in front of the own vehicle Mand the feedback control based on separation from the target trajectoryin combination.

The travel driving force output device 200 outputs a travel drivingforce (torque) for traveling the vehicle to driving wheels. The traveldriving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination ofan internal combustion engine, an electric motor and a transmission, andan electronic controller (ECU) controlling these units. The ECU controlsthe foregoing configuration in accordance with information input fromthe second controller 160 or information input from the driving operator90.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinderthat transmits a hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electronicmotor that generates a hydraulic pressure to the cylinder, and a brakeECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor in accordance withinformation input from the second controller 160 or information inputfrom the driving operator 90 such that a brake torque in accordance witha brake operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 mayinclude a mechanism that transmits a hydraulic pressure generated inresponse to an operation of the brake pedal included in the drivingoperator 90 to the cylinder via a master cylinder as a backup. The brakedevice 210 is not limited to the above-described configuration and maybe an electronic control type hydraulic brake device that controls anactuator in accordance with information input from the second controller160 such that a hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder is transmittedto the cylinder.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and anelectric motor. The electric motor works a force to, for example, a rackand pinion mechanism to change a direction of steering wheels. Thesteering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of thesteering wheels in accordance with information input from the secondcontroller 160 or information input from the driving operator 90.

[Autonomous Parking Event: At Time of Entrance]

For example, the autonomous parking controller 142 parks the own vehicleM in a parking space based on information acquired from a parking lotmanagement device 400 through the communication device 20. FIG. 4 is adiagram schematically showing a scenario in which an autonomous parkingevent according to the first embodiment is performed. Gates 300-in and300-out are provided on a route from a road Rd to a facility to bevisited. The own vehicle M passes through the gate 300-in through manualdriving or automated driving and enters to a stop area 310. The stoparea 310 faces a boarding area 320 connected to the facility to bevisited. In the boarding area 320, an eave is provided to avoid rain andsnow.

After an occupant gets out of a vehicle in the stop area 310, the ownvehicle M performs unmanned automated driving and starts an autonomousparking event for moving to a parking space PS in the parking area PA. Atrigger to start the autonomous parking event may be, for example, anyoperation by the occupant or may be wireless reception of apredetermined signal from the parking lot management device 400. Whenthe autonomous parking event starts, the autonomous parking controller142 controls the communication device 20 such that a parking request istransmitted to the parking lot management device 400. Then, the ownvehicle M moves in accordance with guidance of the parking lotmanagement device 400 or moves performing sensing by itself from thestop area 310 to the parking area PA.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of the parkinglot management device 400 according to the first embodiment. The parkinglot management device 400 includes, for example, a communicator 410, acontroller 420, and a storage 430. The storage 430 stores informationsuch as parking lot map information 432 and a parking space state table434.

The communicator 410 communicates with the own vehicle M and othervehicles wirelessly. The controller 420 guides a vehicle to the parkingspace PS based on information acquired by the communicator 410 andinformation stored in the storage 430. The parking lot map information432 is information that geometrically represents a structure of theparking area PA. The parking lot map information 432 includescoordinates of each parking space PS. In the parking space state table434, for example, a state which indicates a vacant state and a full(parking) state and a vehicle ID which is identification information ofa vehicle parked in the case of the full state are associated with aparking space ID which is identification information of the parkingspace PS.

When the communicator 410 receives a parking request from a vehicle, thecontroller 420 extracts the parking space PS of which a state is avacant state with reference to the parking space state table 434,acquires a position of the extracted parking space PS from the parkinglot map information 432, and transmits a suitable route to the acquiredposition of the parking space PS to the vehicle through the communicator410. The controller 420 instructs a specific vehicle to stop or moveslowly, as necessary, based on a positional relation between a pluralityof vehicles so that the vehicles do not simultaneously advance to thesame position.

In a vehicle receiving the route (hereinafter, assumed to be the ownvehicle M), the autonomous parking controller 142 generates a targettrajectory based on the route. When the own vehicle M approaches theparking space PS which is a target, the parking space recognizer 132recognizes parking frame lines or the like marking the parking space PS,recognizes a detailed position of the parking space PS, and supplies thedetailed position of the parking space PS to the autonomous parkingcontroller 142. The autonomous parking controller 142 receives thedetailed position of the parking space PS, corrects the targettrajectory, and parks the own vehicle M in the parking space PS.

The present invention is not limited to the above description, theautonomous parking controller 142 may find an empty parking space byitself based on a detection result by the camera 10, the radar device12, the finder 14, or the object recognition device 16 irrespective ofcommunication and may cause the own vehicle M to park in the foundparking space.

[Autonomous parking event: time of return]

The autonomous parking controller 142 and the communication device 20are maintained in an operation state even while the own vehicle M isparked. For example, when the communication device 20 receives a pickuprequest from a terminal device of an occupant, the autonomous parkingcontroller 142 activates a system of the own vehicle M and causes theown vehicle M to move to the stop area 310. At this time, the autonomousparking controller 142 controls the communication device 20 to transmita launch request to the parking lot management device 400. Thecontroller 420 of the parking lot management device 400 instructs aspecific vehicle to stop or move slowly, as necessary, based on apositional relation between a plurality of vehicles so that the vehiclesdo not simultaneously enter to the same position, as in the time ofentrance.

When the own vehicle M is caused to move to the stop area 310 and picksup the occupant, the autonomous parking controller 142 stops theoperation. Thereafter, manual driving or automated driving by anotherfunctional unit starts.

[Autonomous parking event: boarding support event at time of return]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the firstcontroller 120 and the third controller 170 according to the firstembodiment. The recognizer 130 with which the first controller 120 isequipped includes, for example, an external vehicle recognizer 134 (asecond recognizer), a user recognizer 136 (a first recognizer), and auser determiner 138 (a first determiner) activated in a boarding supportevent for notifying a user of the own vehicle M of a stop position atthe time of return. The external vehicle recognizer 134 recognizes anexternal vehicle (an example of an object) located in the stop area 310based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, andthe finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. For example, theexternal vehicle recognizer 134 recognizes presence or absence and aposition of the external device located in the stop area 310.

The user recognizer 136 recognizes persons near the own vehicle M (forexample, in a boarding area 320 (area) of a destination that the ownvehicle M enters) based on information input from the camera 10 via theobject recognition device 16. For example, the user recognizer 136performs an analysis process on a captured image of the boarding area320 captured by the camera 10 and recognizes persons in the boardingarea 320 (persons contained in the captured image). For example, theuser recognizer 136 recognizes persons contained in the captured imageusing a scheme such as template matching.

The user determiner 138 determines whether any of the persons recognizedby the user recognizer 136 is a pre-registered user of the own vehicleM. For example, the user determiner 138 determines whether the user ofthe own vehicle M is included among the persons recognized by the userrecognizer 136 by storing an image (for example, a facial image) of theuser of the own vehicle M in advance and comparing the facial images ofthe persons recognized by the user recognizer 136 with the facial imageof the pre-registered user of the own vehicle M. A model for executinguser determination may be prepared by learning an image of the user ofthe own vehicle M in advance using AI technology such as deep learning,and a captured image captured by the camera 10 may be input to the modelas input data to determine whether information indicating the user ofthe own vehicle M is included in the captured image.

Further, the user determiner 138 detects the position of the user whenthe user determiner 138 determines that the person recognized by theuser recognizer 136 is the pre-registered user of the own vehicle M. Forexample, the user determiner 138 detects the position of the user basedon information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and thefinder 14 via the object recognition device 16. The user recognizer 136may recognize the position of the user based on positional informationof the terminal device transmitting a pickup request.

The third controller 170 determines a stop position of the own vehicle Min the stop area 310 based on a recognition result of an externalvehicle by the external vehicle recognizer 134, a recognition result ofthe user by the user recognizer 136, and a determination result by theuser determiner 138 and controls the headlight 70 such that theprojection image is projected to a position for which the determinedstop position is a criterion.

The third controller 170 includes, for example, an acquirer 172, a stopposition determiner 174 (a second determiner), and a light sourcecontroller 176 (a controller). The acquirer 172 acquires a recognitionresult of the external vehicle by the external vehicle recognizer 134,the recognition result of the user by the user recognizer 136, and thedetermination result by the user determiner 138 and stores these resultsin a memory (not shown).

The stop position determiner 174 determines a stop position of the ownvehicle M in the stop area 310 based on the recognition result of theexternal vehicle acquired by the acquirer 172, the recognition result ofthe user, and the determination result of the user. For example, thestop position determiner 174 determines a position in the stop area 310in which the position of the user of the own vehicle M is a criterion asthe stop position of the own vehicle M. Hereinafter, the position in thestop area 310 in which the position of the user is the criterion isreferred simply to as a “position of the user” in some cases. Thedetails of a function of the stop position determiner 174 will bedescribed later.

The light source controller 176 controls the headlight 70 such that theprojection image is projected to a position for which the stop positiondetermined by the stop position determiner 174 is a criterion. Thedetails of a function of the light source controller 176 will bedescribed later.

[Operation Flow of Boarding Support Event]

An operation of the foregoing boarding support event will be described.FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of theboarding support event of the automated driving control device 100according to the first embodiment. The operation flow starts, forexample, using detection of approach of the stop area 310 by theautomated driving control device 100 as a trigger after thecommunication device 20 receives a pickup request transmitted from theterminal device of the user and movement of the own vehicle M to thestop area 310 starts. Each of FIGS. 8 to 10 is a diagram schematicallyshowing an example of a scenario in which the boarding support event ofthe automated driving control device 100 according to the firstembodiment is performed.

First, the external vehicle recognizer 134 recognizes an externalvehicle located in the stop area 310 based on information input from thecamera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the objectrecognition device 16 (step S101). For example, the external vehiclerecognizer 134 detects presence or absence of the external vehicle, theposition of the external vehicle, and the like.

Subsequently, the user recognizer 136 recognizes a person in theboarding area 320 of a destination that the own vehicle M enters basedon the information input from the camera 10 via the object recognitiondevice 16 (step S103). Subsequently, the user determiner 138 determineswhether the person recognized by the user recognizer 136 is thepre-registered user of the own vehicle M (step S105).

FIG. 8 shows an example in which a user US of the own vehicle M andother persons u1 and u2 who are not the user US are in the boarding area320. In this case, the user recognizer 136 recognizes three people (theuser US and the other people u1 and u2) who are in the boarding area320. Then, the user determiner 138 determines that the user US who isone of the three people recognized by the user recognizer 136 is thepre-registered user of the own vehicle M.

On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows an example in which only the otherperson u2 who is not the user US of the own vehicle M is in the boardingarea 320. In this case, the user recognizer 136 recognizes one person(the other person u2) who is in the boarding area 320. Then, the userdeterminer 138 determines that the other person u2 recognized by theuser recognizer 136 is not the pre-registered user of the own vehicle M.

When the user determiner 138 determines that the person recognized bythe user recognizer 136 is the pre-registered user of the own vehicle M(YES in step S105), the position of the user is detected based on theinformation input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and thefinder 14 via the object recognition device 16 (step S107).

Subsequently, the stop position determiner 174 determines whether theown vehicle M can stop at the position of the user detected by the userrecognizer 136 (step S109). In the example shown in FIG. 8, since thereis no object (for example, an external vehicle or the like) disturbingstop at the position of the user US, the own vehicle M can be stopped atthe position of the user US. In this case, the stop position determiner174 determines that the own vehicle M can stop at the position of theuser. Conversely, in an example shown in FIG. 10, since an externalvehicle ml is stopped at the position of the user US, the own vehicle Mcannot be stopped at the position of the user US. In this case, the stopposition determiner 174 determines that the own vehicle M cannot stop atthe position of the user.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the stop position determiner 174 determinesthat the own vehicle M can stop at the position of the user (YES in stepS109), the stop position determiner 174 determines the position of theuser as a stop position P1 (step S111). Then, the light sourcecontroller 176 controls the headlight 70 such that the projection imageis projected to a position for which the stop position P1 determined bythe stop position determiner 174 is a criterion (step S115).

Conversely, as shown in FIG. 10, when the stop position determiner 174determines that the own vehicle M cannot stop at the position of theuser (NO in step S109), the stop position determiner 174 determines aposition at which the own vehicle M can stop near the position of theuser (a position behind the external terminal ml) as a stop position P3(step S113). Then, the light source controller 176 controls theheadlight 70 such that the projection image is projected to the stopposition P3 determined by the stop position determiner 174 (step S115).

As shown in FIG. 9, when the user determiner 138 determines that theperson recognized by the user recognizer 136 is not the pre-registereduser of the own vehicle M (NO in step S105) or the user recognizer 136recognizes no person in the boarding area 320, for example, the userdeterminer 138 determines a predetermined position such as a leadposition of the stop area 310 as a stop position P2 (step S117). In thiscase, since the user of the own vehicle M who is a target fornotification of the stop position is not present, it is not necessaryfor the headlight 70 to notify of the stop position. Therefore, thelight source controller 176 does not control the headlight 70.

According to the above-described first embodiment, by notifying the userof the vehicle of the stop position, it is possible to realize efficientboarding. The user of the vehicle can be aware of a position at whichthe vehicle stops in the boarding area, and thus it is possible to avoidunnecessary movement in the boarding area and shorten a boarding time.The user can be recognized by the vehicle. Thus, by determining the stopposition based on the position of the user of the vehicle, it ispossible to realize more efficient boarding.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described. An automated drivingcontrol device 100 according to the second embodiment differs from thatof the first embodiment in that an operation mode of an indicator ischanged based on a distance between the present position and the stopposition of the own vehicle M in addition to the projection of theprojection image indicating a stop position. Therefore, the drawings anddescription of the first embodiment can be referred to for theconfiguration and the like, and detailed description will be omitted.

[Operation Flow of Boarding Support Event]

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow of aboarding support event of the automated driving control device 100according to the second embodiment. The operation flow starts, forexample, using detection of approach of the stop area 310 by theautomated driving control device 100 as a trigger after thecommunication device 20 receives a pickup request transmitted from theterminal device of the user and movement of the own vehicle M to thestop area 310 starts.

First, the external vehicle recognizer 134 recognizes an externalvehicle located in the stop area 310 based on information input from thecamera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the objectrecognition device 16 (step S201).

Subsequently, the user recognizer 136 recognizes a person in theboarding area 320 of a destination that the own vehicle M enters basedon the information input from the camera 10 via the object recognitiondevice 16 (step S203). Subsequently, the user determiner 138 determineswhether the person recognized by the user recognizer 136 is thepre-registered user of the own vehicle M (step S205).

When the user determiner 138 determines that the person recognized bythe user recognizer 136 is the pre-registered user of the own vehicle M(YES in step S205), the position of the user is detected based on theinformation input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and thefinder 14 via the object recognition device 16 (step S207).

Subsequently, the stop position determiner 174 determines whether theown vehicle M can stop at the position of the user detected by the userrecognizer 136 (step S209).

When the stop position determiner 174 determines that the own vehicle Mcan stop at the position of the user (YES in step S209), the stopposition determiner 174 determines the position of the user as a stopposition P1 (step S211). Conversely, when the stop position determiner174 determines that the own vehicle M cannot stop at the position of theuser (NO in step S209), the stop position determiner 174 determines aposition at which the own vehicle M can stop near the position of theuser (for example, a position behind the external terminal) as a stopposition (step S213). Then, the light source controller 176 controls theheadlight 70 such that the projection image is temporarily projected tothe stop position determined by the stop position determiner 174 (stepS215). Thereafter, the light source controller 176 controls theheadlight 70 such that the own vehicle M stops projecting the projectionimage. The projection image may be projected continuously until arrivalat the stop position instead of being temporary.

Subsequently, after the temporary projection of the projection image bythe headlight 70 ends, the light source controller 176 controls theindicator 80 such that the operation mode of the indicator 80 is changedbased on a distance between the present position and the stop positionof the own vehicle M (step S219). For example, when the indicator 80 isa turn signal, the light source controller 176 controls the turn signalsuch that a blinking speed of the turn signal is changed based on thedistance to the stop position. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematicallyshowing an example of a scenario in which the boarding support event ofthe automated driving control device 100 according to the secondembodiment is performed. As shown, for example, the light sourcecontroller 176 controls the turn signal such that the blinking speed ofthe turn signal gradually becomes slower (or faster) as a distancebetween a present position of the own vehicle M and the stop position Pbecomes shorter. When the own vehicle M arrives at the stop position P,the turn signal is controlled such that the blinking of the turn signalends. The turn signal may be controlled such that only the turn signalclose to the boarding area 320 blinks between the left and right turnsignals or may be controlled such that the left and right turn signalssimultaneously blink (hazard blinking).

When the user determiner 138 determines that the person recognized bythe user recognizer 136 is not the pre-registered user of the ownvehicle M (NO in step S205) or the user recognizer 136 recognizes noperson in the boarding area 320, for example, the user determiner 138determines a predetermined position such as a lead position of the stoparea 310 as a stop position P2 (step S217). In this case, since the userof the own vehicle M who is a target for notification of the stopposition is not present, it is not necessary for the headlight 70 tonotify of the stop position or for the indicator 80 to notify of anapproach situation of the stop position. Therefore, the light sourcecontroller 176 does not control the headlight 70 or the indicator 80.

According to the above-described second embodiment, by notifying theuser of the vehicle of the stop position, it is possible to realizeefficient boarding. The user of the vehicle can be aware of a positionat which the vehicle stops in a boarding area, can avoid unnecessarymovement in the boarding area, and can shorten a boarding time. It ispossible for the vehicle to recognize the user, and thus it is possibleto realize efficient boarding by determining a stop position based onthe position of the user of the vehicle. Further, by changing theoperation mode of the indicator based on the distance between thepresent position of the vehicle and the stop position, the user of thevehicle can easily and accurately be aware of the operation state of thevehicle until the vehicle arrives at the stop position.

At the time of return, to provide a notification to the outside of thevehicle that the own vehicle M performs unmanned automated driving, astate (color, transparency, and the like) of a windshield (a frontwindshield, a side windshield, a rear windshield, or the like) of theown vehicle M may be changed based on a driving state. FIG. 13 is adiagram schematically showing an example of a scenario in which aboarding support event of the automated driving control device 100according to a modification example of the second embodiment isperformed. For example, when the windshield of the own vehicle M becomesnon-transparent (the transparency is lowered) during the unmannedautomated driving and the own vehicle M arrives at the stop position Pto end the unmanned automated driving (the user can board the vehicle),the windshield may be changed to become transparent (the transparency israised). For example, by pasting a liquid crystal film of whichtransparency is changed depending on conduction or non-conduction to thewindshield of the own vehicle M and allowing the automated drivingcontrol device 100 (for example, the light source controller 176) tocontrol a conduction state of the liquid crystal film, the transparencyof the windshield may be variable. The automated driving control device100 (for example, the light source controller 176) may control thewindshield such that the state of the windshield of the own vehicle Mwhich is moving to the stop position under the automated driving controlis different from the state of the windshield of the own vehicle M whichhas arrived at the stop position.

To provide a notification to the outside that the own vehicle M performsthe unmanned automated driving, the automated driving control device 100(for example, the light source controller 176) may control a projectiondevice provided in the own vehicle M such that a 3D polygon (a characteror the like) (an image) recognizable from the outside of the own vehicleM is given to the driving seat of the own vehicle M during the unmannedautomated driving.

In the foregoing embodiments, the example in which the own vehicle Mprojects the projection image to the position for which the stopposition is the criterion has been described. However, light may beradiated to the position of the user of the own vehicle M. FIG. 14 is adiagram schematically showing an example of a scenario in which aboarding support event of the automated driving control device 100according to a modification example of the first and second embodimentsis performed. As shown, the light source controller 176 may radiatelight to a position UP such as the feet, eyes, or the like of the userUS instead of or in addition to the projection of the projection imageto the position for which the stop position P is the criterion. Thelight source controller 176 may detect brightness of the outside of thevehicle using an illuminance sensor mounted in the own vehicle M andchange a radiation position of the light to the user US based on thebrightness. The light source controller 176 controls the headlight 70such that a body part of the user to which the light is radiated ischanged based on illuminance of the outside of the own vehicle M. Forexample, when the outside of the own vehicle is bright (the illuminanceis equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold), the light sourcecontroller 176 radiates the light at the feet of the user US. When theoutside of the own vehicle is dark (the illuminance is less than thepredetermined threshold), the light source controller 176 may controlthe headlight 70 such that the light is radiated to the vicinity of theeyes of the user US. Thus, the user US can recognize the own vehicle Mwith a sensation similar to maintaining eye contact with another personand can confirm that the own vehicle M recognizes the user and performsa returning process normally.

In the foregoing embodiments, the example in which the projection imageis projected when the own vehicle M is moving under the automateddriving control has been described. However, the present invention canalso be applied to a case in which the own vehicle M is moving undermanual driving control. For example, the stop position may be predictedfrom a speed change or the like of the own vehicle M moving under manualdriving control and the projection image may be projected to theposition for which the predicted stop position is a criterion so thatthe user then boarding the own vehicle M can be notified of the stopposition.

[Hardware Configuration]

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration ofthe automated driving control device 100 according to an embodiment. Asshown, the automated driving control device 100 (computer) is configuredsuch that a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a (randomaccess memory) (RAM) 100-3 that is used as a working memory, a read-onlymemory (ROM) 100-4 that stores a boot program or the like, a storagedevice 100-5 such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), a drivedevice 100-6, and the like are connected to each other via an internalbus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller100-1 performs communication with constituent element other than theautomated driving control device 100. The storage device 100-5 stores aprogram 100-5 a that is executed by the CPU 100-2. The program is loadedon the RAM 100-3 by a direct memory access (DMA) controller (not shown)to be executed by the CPU 100-2. Thus, some or all of the firstcontroller 120, the second controller 160, and the third controller 170are realized.

The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows:

the vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle consisting of a storagedevice that stores a program and a hardware processor, the vehiclecontrol device causing the hardware processor to execute the programstored in the storage device,

to recognize a person near the vehicle;

to determine whether the recognized person is a pre-registered user; and

to control a lighting device such that a projection image is projectedto a position for which a stop position of the vehicle is a criterionwhen the recognized person is determined to be the pre-registered user.

While the embodiments for implementing the present invention have beendescribed using embodiments, the present invention is not limited tothese embodiments and various modifications and substitutions can beadded without departing from the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle,the vehicle control device comprising: a first recognizer configured torecognize a person near the vehicle; a first determiner configured todetermine whether the person recognized by the first recognizer is apre-registered user; and a controller configured to control a lightingdevice to project a projection image to a position for which a stopposition of the vehicle is a criterion in a case where the firstdeterminer determines that the person recognized by the first recognizeris the pre-registered user.
 2. The vehicle control device according toclaim 1, wherein the controller is configured not to control thelighting device in a case where the first recognizer recognizes noperson or the first determiner determines that the person recognized bythe first recognizer is not the pre-registered user.
 3. The vehiclecontrol device according to claim 1, further comprising: a seconddeterminer configured to determine the stop position based on a positionof the person determined to be the pre-registered user by the firstdeterminer.
 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, whereinthe second determiner is configured to determine a predeterminedposition in a stop area as the stop position in a case where the firstrecognizer recognizes no person or the first determiner determines thatthe person recognized by the first recognizer is not the pre-registereduser.
 5. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, furthercomprising: a second recognizer configured to recognize an object whichis in the stop area, wherein the second determiner is configured todetermine a stoppable position different from a position of the personas the stop position in a case where the first determiner determinesthat the person recognized by the first recognizer is the pre-determineduser and the second recognizer recognizes an object disturbing stoppingof the vehicle at the position of the person.
 6. The vehicle controldevice according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol an indicator mounted in the vehicle to change an operation modeof the indicator based on a distance from a present position of thevehicle to the stop position.
 7. The vehicle control device according toclaim 6, wherein the controller is configured to control the indicatorto change a blinking speed of the indicator.
 8. The vehicle controldevice according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the lighting device to stop the projection of the projectionimage before the indicator is controlled.
 9. The vehicle control deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control awindshield of the vehicle to make a state of the windshield of thevehicle while the vehicle is moving to the stop position throughautomated driving control be different from the state of the windshieldof the vehicle after the vehicle arrives at the stop position.
 10. Thevehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller isconfigured to control a projection device to project an imagerecognizable from outside of the vehicle to a driving seat of thevehicle while the vehicle is moving to the stop position throughautomated driving control.
 11. The vehicle control device according toclaim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the lightingdevice to radiate light to the person determined to be thepre-registered user by the first determiner.
 12. The vehicle controldevice according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the lighting device to change a body part of the person to whichthe light is radiated based on illuminance outside of the vehicle.
 13. Avehicle control method causing a computer of a vehicle control devicemounted in a vehicle to: recognize a person near the vehicle; determinewhether the recognized person is a pre-registered user; and control alighting device to project a projection image to a position for which astop position of the vehicle is a criterion in a case where therecognized person is determined to be the pre-registered user.
 14. Acomputer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a program thatcauses a computer of a vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle to:recognize a person near the vehicle; determine whether the recognizedperson is a pre-registered user; and control a lighting device toproject a projection image to a position for which a stop position ofthe vehicle is a criterion in a case where the recognized person isdetermined to be the pre-registered user.